Rutgers' Player Reactions Following UC Loss

Denis Brown

10/07/2007

Rutgers wide receiver Tim Brown was perhaps the most candid of any player in the locker room following the game. Interestingly enough, he hit deeper on a certain issue that RU running back Ray Rice touched on as well.

Tim Brown mentioned the fight in player's eyes and started to question whether certain players had it - that same sort of chip on the collective shoulders that the Scarlet Knights played with all last year, and that seems to have been transferred to both Cincy and South Florida this year. New players have been put into important situations and the lack of experienced players at a number of positions, where in several cases players are being asked to make significant contributions, has become an issue.

Below are Brown's comments in the locker room following the game.

Beginning to make plays on offense consistently:
I am taking it one game at a time is all I am thinking about. As I play, I am just thinking about making bigger plays.

On Getting back to pre-injury form:
Not quite yet. My hand is better but a couple of more weeks it will be a lot better and I will make more catches.

Offense getting to where it needs to be:
We are real close. This is a new team and we just have to come together as a group and just talk to each other and get back to the old Rutgers of playing all four quarters and never quit. I looked around to see a couple of players and saw they didn't have that fight in their eyes like we had last year. We would be down six points last year and I would look around and guys would have that fight in their eyes. That is all we need to bring to the table, is that fight.

New players adjusting on the team:
A little bit, but we worked hard. We are going to get it together soon. The coach is doing a great job by coaching the young guys and you never know when it will be your chance. We are going to be fine.

What Cincinnati did so well:
They just played harder than we did. Instead of us coming out and playing harder than they did. We just got to come play hard, no matter who we play.

Raymell Rice spoke in some detail about the problems he saw with the team but all emphasized that the light will be seen at the end of the tunnel.

What Cincy did well defense:
They stuffed the box. They are a team that has gotten tremendously better over time.

How much the loss hurts:
Every loss stings. There is not a loss that shouldn't sting, every loss stings.

Last year the team bounced back with big wins and this team has not done that, yet:
Every loss hurts. Until you start practicing for the next team it is not going to go away. Tomorrow we are going to watch film and it is still going to be here. This team just has to do the job of letting it go. Especially these young guys, they have to let it go. This adversity is something that we have faced before in this program and I am sitting here and telling you honest, this team is going to get better.

On the Issue of Leadership:
I think that comes with experience. You got these young guys and if you watch our defense and look at our offense, there are guys playing new positions. As much as you say leadership, it takes game experience to actually know these situations.

Scarlet Knight receiver Tiquan Underwood and one of the playmakers on the team talked about what the team needs to do to fix some of the problem plaguing the offense.

The turnover problem against Cincinnati:
At the college level, you can't turn the ball over and expect to win. We are going to clean that up and just have to execute better.

What the problem was during the game:
I think the problem was just finishing drives. We moved the ball well and we played our hearts out there. We just have to work on executing. We are going to get out it tomorrow at practice and try to do better.

RU defensive tackle Eric Foster and one of the captains on the team spoke about the team's mindset going forward on the rest of the season.

Losing to the same team two years in a row:
Very tough.

Did fatigue play a roll on the final drive:
We just weren't good enough today.

How does this loss rank:
Every loss hurts, but this one really hurts.

Winning the Big East:
We are not worried about that. We are not worried about winning the Big East. What we are worrying about is tomorrow. Come back as a team and chop tomorrow. There is nothing we can do about tonight. We are not worried about the Big East. We are not worrying about bowl game. We are not worrying about BCS. We are worrying about tomorrow.